East Bay family who puts on annual free haunted house for community has decorations stolen
SAN LEANDRO, Calif. (KGO) -- A family in the East Bay is asking the community for help keeping the Halloween spirit alive in their neighborhood.
Every year they turn their home into an elaborate haunted house, free for visitors. But over the weekend, they say, someone stole several key decorations.
Driving around a quiet San Leandro neighborhood, the Halloween spirit is alive and well. But perhaps nowhere is that more true than at the house of the Nutting family.
"My wife's born on the first of November, so this is the closest holiday," said DW Nutting.
For the past 20 years, DW and his wife, Mary, have been going all out for spooky season, decorating their entire property and creating a haunted house that's free to the public on Halloween.
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"We started to expand, get more props over the years. Those props add to more props every year," Nutting said.
But this year, things are a little different.
"We actually had two major props stolen. So that was very disheartening," Nutting said.
Nutting says someone stole two of their animatronics, along with several other decorations, over the weekend. This is the second time in two years their display has been burglarized, costing the family hundreds of dollars as well as dozens of hours in hard work.
"Protecting the investment is one thing, but it's more I would just like whoever is doing things like this to be held responsible for it," Nutting said.
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Despite the thefts, the haunted house is still going on this year -- but hopefully with a little help from the community.
To help pay for the replacement props, and keep the haunted house free for the community, the family has started a GoFundMe page.
They are determined to keep the Halloween spirit alive while still giving back to the people and place they love most.
"Just to do what we do every year to bring all the family and extended family together again for yet another year. That's what it means. That's why we do it," Nutting said.
